I was taking a look at British history for some more POD ideas (I have so many PODs but so few resulting timelines
), and I at first wanted to tackle something that would feature British politics, Jane Austen, and Beethoven to some extent. However, I saw something that captured my interest more; George II outlived two of his three sons (granted, one died in infancy), and the third--William, "Butcher Cumberland"--only outlived him by five years with no kids. The Hanoverian dynasty could therefore end a lot earlier if Frederick (OTL George III's father) at least predeceases his father before marriage. We'd have William for a few years assuming Geo II dies as per OTL, and then--here's the best part IMO--
we have William V of Orange-Nassau, Princess Anne's son, become king of Great Britain, Ireland, and nominally France in 1765ish.
What might it mean for another king of Dutch ancestry to ascend to the British throne? Do the Netherlands become a kingdom within an alt-UK, or are they split from the British isles as soon as possible? How would Britain develop without a long-reigning monarch like Victoria? Would there still be American and French Revolutions, and if so, would they succeed? Might we see revolutions in, say, Spain or Poland instead? A state within the HRE? I have a lot more ideas, but I want to start with these.
So my idea overall is kind of based on My Username is Inigo Montoya's "No legit male issue from Geo III", except that would be harder since he had eight sons total. https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=257332&highlight=george+iii
we have William V of Orange-Nassau, Princess Anne's son, become king of Great Britain, Ireland, and nominally France in 1765ish.
What might it mean for another king of Dutch ancestry to ascend to the British throne? Do the Netherlands become a kingdom within an alt-UK, or are they split from the British isles as soon as possible? How would Britain develop without a long-reigning monarch like Victoria? Would there still be American and French Revolutions, and if so, would they succeed? Might we see revolutions in, say, Spain or Poland instead? A state within the HRE? I have a lot more ideas, but I want to start with these.
So my idea overall is kind of based on My Username is Inigo Montoya's "No legit male issue from Geo III", except that would be harder since he had eight sons total. https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=257332&highlight=george+iii